Niuatoputapu to Vava'u Passage Summary

Hi everyone,

Here is a summary of our 175nm passage between Tongan islands Niuatoputapu and Vava'u.  We sailed in close company with Netherlands OCC SVs Walkabout and Wandelaar.  It was a great passage save only for the wind direction and current pushing us all W.  This and a fading breeze led to our all motoring in to the lee of Vava'u and we then hove-to for the night.

Zen Again in Neiafu

Here are the usual plots...

Track

Arrival

Graphs

Here are the vital stats for the passage…

    • Distances/Speeds

        • Route Distance = 175 nm

        • Logged Distance = 190 nm

        • GPS Distance = 206 nm

        • Duration = 2 days 2 hours

        • Average speed = 3.8 kt (including while hove-to)

        • Minimum boat speed = 0.5 kt

        • Maximum boat speed = 6 kt

    • Weather

        • Minimum wind speed = 3 kt

        • Average wind speed = 10 knots

        • Maximum wind speed = 18 with gusts to 24

        • Apparent wind angle range = 40 to 100

        • Seas 1-2m

        • Swell 1-2m

        • Clear with 1/8 cloud mostly except overcast when rain squalls around

        • 1/2 waxing moon

    • Engine

        • Total = 10 hours

        • Driving = 10 hours

        • Charging = 0 hours

    • Failures

        • None

    • Stars

        • The boat - as always

It was fun to sail with two other boats of similar speeds and in wind varying from 5 to 20 knots.  Wandelaar is a Bronsveen Colin Archer ketch.  Walkabout is an Ovni 345.  After 30 hours sailing we were still close to each other.

Departing together (with Amel 50 Traveller IV ahead)

Wandelaar, Zen Again & Walkabout (L-R) 30 hours later

Winds started E 8G12 under an almost clear blue sky.  With hindsight we should have held higher but instead rhumb-lined S.  Overnight a band of cloud moved over bringing a few showers and 18G24 wind which veered SSE.  This put us hard on the wind.  And a 0.5-1.0 knot current was also pushing us W.

The next day the wind gradually decreased and backed, but only to the SE.  We passed close to Fonualei Island with all three yachts in line abreast.  As the wind continued to die and the sea state improved we resorted to the engine to take us E towards Vava'u.  When in the lee of the island that evening we hove-to for the night.  The half moon set spectacularly and the star-scape which followed was awesome.

In the Niuatoputapu passage

Full Sail

Passing Fonualei Island

At 0700 the engine went back on and we motored to Neiafu, the main town on Vava'u.  Many of our OCC &/or EBBYC friends are here.  We picked up a mooring close to Mango's restaurant.

Dawn twilight with Vava'u in silhouette

Approaching Vava'u

On a mooring off Mango's dinghy dock

View of Neiafu anchorage

Trust all's well where you are!

Niuatoputapu

Hi everyone,

Weather has dictated we only spend a few days here in Niuatoputapu.  Next week the weather turns against us so we will be leaving tomorrow.  Yesterday we spent a full day exploring.  The local people are extremely friendly and helpful.

Tafahi Island from Niuatoputapu

Yesterday morning the supply ship arrived at about 0700.  It only visits monthly and stays for a day.  We headed ashore to walk to the fresh-water pool at the western end of the island.  We walked a loop which took us along the shore then back around the three villages.

The anchorage is very safe with a good sandy bottom of 6-12m depth.  It does suffer from chop due to fetch if there's any N in the wind.  No swell.  The wharf has a raw coral dinghy dock and care is needed to avoid puncture damage.

Monthly supply ship arrival

Zen Again with Walkabout and Olmari to right

Wharf dinghy dock

Wharf

The island was impacted by the 2009 tsunami with 9 people killed locally and many more on other Tongan and Samoan islands.  Since then there's been a lot of investment including a new hospital and moving many dwellings to higher locations.  You can read about it here.

The island is neat and tidy.  Perhaps not quite as tidy as Samoa due to drink cans along the roadsides.  But you're more likely to be offered a lift while walking around.  Church is very important here with several on an island of only about 700 people.

Tidy & colourful cemetary

Catholic church

The fresh water pool is nice to visit.  It's at the mouth of a river, apparently downstream of a water treatment plant.  Beyond the pool the river mouth is popular with the local pigs.  Pigs are everywhere here but we also saw sheep, goats, cows and horses.  There's a lot of agriculture with coconuts, bananas, taro, cassava, breadfruit and more.

Lots of banyan trees

Fresh water pool

Pigs downstream of the pool

We did about 12,000 steps on the walk.  It was hot but thankfully there was a breeze.  Back in the anchorage the chop kicked up by the wind led to abandoning a plan for a dinghy sundowner on the Motu adjacent to the anchorage.

Sunset

Today I walked to the Customs office to do our 'domestic clear-out', allowing us to move between island groups.  That was a single form and free.  From there I walked to the bakery which has excellent locally-baked bread.  There are several small stores with very basic supplies only.  Best to leave that for the locals since the supplies come so infrequently.  Likewise we kept our rubbish aboard.

Excellent bakery - the hut under the trees

So we're ready to depart tomorrow for Neiafu in the Vava'u island group.  That's a 170nm passage south.  Winds are expected to be 10-15 knots from the ESE.  Vava'u will be very different with a much larger population and far more cruising boats already there.

Zen again at Niuatoputapu

Trust all's well where you are!

Samoa to Tonga Passage Summary

Hi everyone,

Here is a summary of our almost two day passage from Apia in Samoa to Niuatoputapu in Tonga.  It was a tiring passage due to the beam wind with 2-3m swell.  Quite rolly with occasional side-swipes.  We sailed almost all the way under trisail sized main and partially furled storm staysail to avoid arriving before dawn.

Sailing South

Here are the usual plots...

Track

Arrival

Graphs

Here are the vital stats for the passage…

    • Distances/Speeds

        • Route Distance = 187 nm

        • Logged Distance = 200 nm

        • GPS Distance = 200 nm

        • Duration = 1 days 17 hours

        • Average speed = 4.9 kt

        • Minimum boat speed = 2.5 kt

        • Maximum boat speed = 11.6 kt (surfing outside Niuatoputapu pass)

    • Weather

        • Minimum wind speed = 6 kt

        • Average wind speed = 17 knots

        • Maximum wind speed = 21 with gusts to 28

        • Apparent wind angle range = 70 to 150

        • Seas 1-2m

        • Swell 2-3m

        • Clear with 1/8 cloud mostly except overcast when rain squalls around

        • 1/8 waxing moon

    • Engine

        • Total = 2 hours

        • Driving = 2 hours (leaving and entering harbour only)

        • Charging = 0 hours

    • Failures

        • None

    • Stars

        • The boat - as always

        • Storm Staysail

Apia astern (with rainbow)

We departed Apia at 1635 on Monday.  From there we broad reached W along the N coast of the island.  It was dark by the time we reached the strait between Upolu and Savai'i Islands.  The light on Apolima Island is conspic and quite high.  Winds were light in the lee of Upolu Island in the E wind and we ghosted past Apolima Island.

Once out of the lee the wind returned and we set the storm staysail instead of furled yankee.  The E seas and various swell wave trains made it quite rolly and uncomfortable.  We were deeply reefed to try slow the boat down but she was doing 5-6 knots much of the time.  We had a lovely clear and mostly moonless sky with a spectacular starscape.  But we were taking spray into the cockpit when sideswiped by the seas so didn't see it very often!

Tuesday provided similar wind and sea conditions.  At least with the wind on the beam we were sheltered by the dodger when keeping watch in the companionway.  A couple of light showers passed overhead but without much more wind.  We furled the storm staysail in an attempt to slow the boat.

Tuesday night  was also similar.  At 0500 on Wednesday we hove to, fore-reaching slowly S.  Shortly after dawn at 0645 we gybed and started our approach.  We gybed again for our final approach, finding none of the 20-40m shelf charted on CM93, Navionics and NZ Raster charts.  For a while we thought our depth sounder had died.  We only got into soundings less than 0.5nm from the pass, and the 3m swells really let us know about it!  We surfed down a couple of waves doing 8-10 knots briefly.  Happily the swells dissipated rapidly.

The shore leads for the pass were conspic and gave us a very good indication of when to turn in.  The swells breaking over the reef to the E of the pass were dramatic.  But as soon as we were in the lee of the reef all was calm.  The pass is well marked by old piles and new buoys.  The Navionics SonarCharts are very good in the pass and anchorage.  There's a lot of zigzagging involved so care is needed, including in the anchorage.

We anchored in 12m over sand, having to do so twice since we didn't like our proximity to OCC/EBBYC sv Traveller IV.  Kiwi sv Olmari is here too.

Tafahi Island immediately N of Nuiatoputapu

Nuiatoputapu ahead

Reef E of pass

Approaching the pass

In Apia we had emailed our Advance Notice form to both Ana the local clearance coordinator and the general Tongan Customs address, both of whom acknowledged receipt.  Immediately we had the anchor down we were deluged by emails, texts and dinghied messages to contact Ana.  We advised her it would take an hour or more to launch and get our dink going, and that it would hold only one of the four officials needing to visit at a time.  Ana gave us permission to 'phone a friend' and the sv Traveller IVs kindly brought the officials to us at 1030.

The clearing-in process was simple but the search thorough.  We had to show the contents of all compartments and any large containers in them.  Apparently that's a consequence of yachts being found with a large quantity of drugs aboard in both Tonga and the Marquesas recently.  The Quarantine charge was 20 Paanga.

The Health official hadn't been available in the morning.  He appeared mid-afternoon courtesy of Australian sv Kingara.  The Health charge was 200 Paanga.

By 1530 we were fully cleared-in.  Looking forward to a good night's sleep and to exploring Niuatoputapu.  We're in Tonga!

Trust all's well where you are.